After intensive investigation on the parts of both Russia and the US, spokespersons from both space agencies have determined the probable cause for the accident which has placed the station and its resident personnel in jeopardy. In terse statements at a recent press conference, Russian and US space agency spokespersons said Thursday, "We have concluded joint investigations concerning this potentially tragic accident and each nation's team, separately, has arrived at identical conclusions for this incident." "The accident was caused by one thing and one thing only... "OBJECTS IN MIR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR." author unknown -- Dale Ireland astronomy web site http://www.drdale.com Comets, Eclipses, Satellites, Fabrications